A/N Thanks again. I know I keep saying this but its true. I really appreciate all the support this story has gotten. It means alot and it has helped me get better over the course of this story. I hope it shows in my writing. Reviews, alerts, page hits and readers are all the payment we authors get but they are well worth it. Friendships have been made and that has been the biggest benefit of coming to this site.

I never envisioned this chapter in my original plan for this story. I want to especially thank LittleCandyMan. Its because of his awesomeness that I saw a new direction that I'm really pleased with. He made this chapter possible.

As usual I want to thank Esardi for his great read through and for letting me bounce ideas off of him. They are always better after he finishes with them.

I don't own Chuck but if I did I would have been crying my eyes out at the scene we saw posted tonight of the final series wrap.

Chapter 15

The Interrogation

Cell 14B

Undisclosed location

8:35 pm EDT

Andrea Saunders had been confined to the four by eight foot cell ever since she arrived somewhere in the DC area three days ago. The cell was your typical Government grey drab walls with a small cot like bed, stainless steel sink and toilet. Opposite the cot a small bench and table were permanently mounted to the wall. This was where she took her meals which had been surprisingly better than she had expected. True it was typical military cafeteria style food with basic meats, starches, a piece of fruit and coffee or water to drink depending on whether it was what she assumed breakfast or not but it was edible.

She had been given a bright orange jumpsuit with the simple number 13104 on the left breast pocket. She has no idea what the significance of the number was but she figured she better get used to it as it was her new identity for the foreseeable future no matter how long or short that turned out to be. She fully expected to be interrogated, and kept alive only for as long as she either was useful or held out giving the government any of the limited information she knew.

Surprisingly though they had yet to speak with her. Her only human contact in the last seventy-two hours had been when the guards came to either pick up her meals or return for the trays for cleaning. It almost seemed like they were waiting for something or someone to arrive. She also felt that it was probably a technique they were using to try and isolate her and go after her psychologically. Maybe it was all part of a master plan of lulling her into a crushing depression, loneliness and anxiety. So far that hadn't happened but she knew from her training both with the CIA and the Ring that extended periods of isolation had a definite affect on an agent's psyche. Eventually leading to bouts of anger, delusion, and hallucination, ultimately a complete mental breakdown was possible.

This was one of the things that being an agent and knowing what was ahead could be utilized both ways. It protected the Agent from the fear of the unknown but it also led the Agent to know what their fate would be the longer they were isolated. What had surprised he most was that no one had laid a hand on her yet however. Isolation was one thing but it was usually preceded by brutal beatings, sleep deprivation and intense interrogation. None of that had happened yet. Instead of trying to deal with the pain from a beating that an Agent like John Casey could inflict on who he considered a traitor she had been left to deal with her own thoughts. She wasn't truly sure which was worse.

Over the past three days Andrea had plenty of time to think about the events in her life that led her to being locked up in a cell somewhere underground probably within a hundred miles of the Capital of the nation that had betrayed her and she had betrayed in return. She thought back to when she had been recruited by the CIA after graduating in the top 10 of her class at the University of Chicago. Her father had died when she was eight and her mother had turned to alcohol and random men to deal with the loss of the love of her life before the age of 40. If it hadn't been for her mother's sister taking her to live with her outside Cleveland she probably would have been left to a life in foster home after foster home once children's services had been called in because of the bruises on her arms from one of her mom's 'boyfriends'.

Her aunt had taken her in, loved her as if she was her own, sent her to college and was the only family there for her when she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in International Relations and Diplomacy. Her aunt had saved her but she had been killed in a car accident while she was away on a mission in Bulgaria. Her loss had affected her deeply even though she had been a trained Agent who was taught how to suppress emotions and sever any emotional ties with friends and family. After her aunt's death she had begun to take more risky assignments. She took chances and she knew that eventually those chances would catch up with her. But none of that really mattered to her anymore. She was alone in the world and no one would mourn her passing. All that would be left of her life was a star on the wall in Langley. So much for the exciting life dedicated to the greater good. It was during this time something happened that would change her life and caused her to turn her back on her commitment to the CIA and her country. That event led to the chain of events that brought her to this tiny cell and a career in disgrace.

But while she lay on her bunk trying in vain to sleep away the loneliness she thought back to the events of the past almost three months. She thought of a man unlike any she had ever met. Someone different from the typical Type A self absorbed, handsome, James Bond type she had been so accustomed to working with. A man who seemed so completely out of place in the world he was living in. But a man who despite some of his limitations had given more effort and commitment to his training than any other trainee she had ever worked with. All during that time when the Intersect in his head wasn't working he still never sulked, never gave up, never flinched when he was continually knocked down. He simply got back up and tried harder next time.

She also thought back to the night after his hunter/prey test. The night where she danced, she laughed, she flirted and she dined just like any other beautiful young woman with a dashing young man on her arm. Sure it was all a game, he was playing her the whole time but she didn't care. She was playing him just as much so how could she have any anger at him for it. But their 'performance' right out of a 1960's romantic Cary Grant movie was probably the most enjoyable night she had spent in years. She felt like a woman, not like a spy who was about to betray this man. She felt cared for, appreciated, romanced and most of all she felt like a normal person for the first time since she joined the CIA.

Charles Carmichael had a way of getting inside an agent's walls and if he ever harnessed it and utilized it as a tool to advance his missions, he would be devastating to many a female Agent and probably a few males as well.

Suddenly Andrea was wrenched from her musings by the sound of footsteps coming towards her cell. She knew it wasn't meal time as they had just picked up her dinner tray no more than an hour before. Her body cringed just slightly as she thought to herself 'I guess the beatings are about to start. Time to put the game face on.'

She heard the sound of the electronic actuators retract the metal bars that were locking the door to her cell closed and her attention was shifted to the figure now entering through the windowless door.

Once her eyes adjusted to the light coming from the hallway that had created a ghostly halo around the tall dark figure standing in front of her, she gasped. The stereotypically handsome man before her was the man who had entered her nightmares on many a night over the last seven years. This was the man that betrayed her. This was the man who abandoned his partner of eighteen months and left her to die or face the even worse fate she ultimately did face. This was a man she had even welcomed into her bed after a few exhausting, adrenaline pumping missions. Sure it was always about just the sex and they both knew it but she believed that at least their partnership as Agents was real.

What had angered her the most was that he abandoned her even when the mission they were on didn't require it. She would have accepted that as she knew it was always a possibility of the job but it was just an attempt to cover up how badly he had screwed up the mission. He had blown their cover to a Thai drug trafficker and let a shipment of black market former Soviet weapons worth over twenty million dollars be sent to the Taliban in exchange for 2500 kilos of pure Afgan heroin. She had been the only one who knew of the screw up and had threatened to report him to Langston Graham because protocol required it. She also felt that our forces in Afghanistan needed to be aware of the incoming weapons in hope they could call in an airstrike and destroy the shipment before it arrived.

They had been watching the compound where the exchange was supposed to take place. The plan had been to wait for all parties to come together, confirm the materials were there and call in a Predator drone strike killing all involved and destroying both the weapons and the heroin. But she had overheard the men at the compound talking about two American CIA agents who were in the area. They were laughing when they heard that the male Agent had hit on the daughter of one of the leaders of the camp in a bar in Bangkok. She had gone with him back to his hotel and when she slipped a little something extra into his drink she went through his bag and found the secret compartment with his encrypted cell phone, extra passports and US Government Issue Beretta.

When Andrea turned to confront her partner he was holding his other weapon, his Sig at her head. He then explained that he wouldn't let her take him down as he had plans to become Director someday and he couldn't let this failure tarnish his perfect record. He then pistol whipped her knocking her out. The next thing she knew she was in a dark musty cell and two of the men she had heard talking in the camp were holding her down while what looked to be the local police chief was between her legs pounding his foul smelling small penis into her. As she tried to fight them off she was beaten and finally was knocked out once again only to wake up in a cage with eight other men and women.

For the next year and a half she was forced to fight for the entertainment of the local perverts and if she lost she was then beaten and raped. She only escaped the brutal treatment if she won her fight. After the leader of the camp whom she was 'servicing' had been killed by another Drug Lord he had double crossed a riot broke out and she managed to escape in all of the confusion. She made it back to Bangkok and was taken to a hospital. That is where she met an agent sent by the Director of the Ring who recruited her telling her that the CIA had abandoned her and if she went with him she could reap her revenge.

As the two former partners stared at each other for a few seconds a smirk came across the face of the well dressed Agent. "Hello Andrea, it's been a long time."

"Not long enough, Daniel."

General Beckman's office

DNI

09:00 pm EDT

Chuck and Sarah were seated in soft leather chairs looking across the desk at a sight they had seen so many times on video conference. General Diane Beckman was seated in front of her bookshelf with her usual stern professional appearance and even more so professional attitude.

Sarah was dressed in a simple white blouse, blue skirt and matching heels. On her wrist was the bracelet that Chuck had given to her back at Christmas in Burbank the year before. She had brought it with her to Marseille but never wore it while on duty. It was precious to her, a symbol that she was part of Chuck's family, and she had kept it near her at all times. She would often wear it when she was alone in her hotel room back in Burbank when she thought no one would know. She wore it in Marseille whenever she needed to feel close to him and the life she wanted to share with him. But because of the importance of the meeting they were about to have she wanted him to see that she in this with him. They were bound by this bracelet and the love that it symbolized.

Sarah had called ahead and had a new suit waiting for Chuck when they first arrived in DC. She wanted him to look professional like the Agent he was becoming. Besides she loved how he looked in a well fitted suit.

"First of all its good to have you back stateside Mr. Bartowski."

"Thank you ma'am. It's good to be here."

"Also congratulations Agent Walker on a job well done in Marseille. Interpol has already rounded up a number of Government officials who are all singing like birdies. Marchon will be released into their custody to stand trial with charges in at least 5 countries."

"Thank you ma'am but we couldn't have done it so easily without Chuck." Sarah turned and smiled at her partner.

"Yes it does seem that you two work very well together. You along with Colonel Casey had been a formidable team and it was a mistake to try and break that team up. I can assure you we will not make that mistake again."

"General if I may."

"Go ahead Mr. Bartowski."

"General we'd like to discuss the nature of that team." Chuck and Sarah both turned to each other with an expression that said they both were ready to do this.

"I'm listening."

"First of all, when I wasn't able to flash during my training I came to the realization that much of how the Intersect functions depends on my emotional state. That somehow the Intersect relied on my emotional stability to properly deal with the massive amounts of data that are processed in a flash. If there is serious emotional turmoil those pathways get blocked and I can't process that data and the flash never happens."

"That is why Agents are taught to suppress their emotions, to control them so that they can react properly according to protocol when on a mission."

"I understand that General and in most cases that is a valid approach. But the Intersect and I are not like most cases."

Sarah looked back and forth between Chuck and the General to try and gauge her reaction to what Chuck was telling her. Unfortunately the redhead across form them had one of the best poker faces she had ever seen.

"General, I can't suppress my emotions. I need them. It simply isn't my nature to be able to do that. But what also I have come to learn is that the Intersect needs them as well."

"How so?"

Chuck shifted in his chair and leaned forward rubbing his hands together. "General, remember what happened in the Intersect room when I took out the Ring Agents?"

"Of course, how is that relevant?"

"Well I've learned that it was the threat to Sarah and Casey and my worry about their safety that triggered the Kung Fu flashes that allowed me to subdue those agents. I also learned that when I was separated from Sarah and distraught over my failures during my training that those feelings clogged the pathways in my brain suppressing those flashes. The more I couldn't flash the more distraught I got and the vicious cycle kept turning."

"So how did that change and what was the trigger that allowed you to start flashing again?"

"In a word, Sarah."

The two looked at each other again and smiled quickly before turning their attention back to their boss.

"General, when Sarah contacted me while I was in Zuoz, I was happy she was ok. I knew she was out there and she had my back. She was protecting me like she always has even though she wasn't actually with me."

Remember after the 49B you told us that the feelings we have could be and asset to the asset. You were absolutely right. The key to getting the most out of me and the most out of the Intersect is sitting right next to me. Just like she always has been."

"Well I told you that we have no intention of breaking up the team ever again so what is the point of all this?"

At this point Sarah decided to interject and put all the cards on the table. She sat up straight with her hands in her lap and said "General, Chuck and I are dating… exclusively."

Both Chuck and Sarah looked at each other with a feeling of apprehension wondering what was going on in that brain across from them. Their futures were in the balance and Sarah and Chuck had taken a leap of faith.

The General looked down and sighed with a look of both frustration but also resignation. "I must remind you that relationships between and Agent and an Asset are against protocol and require that the Agent be immediately reassigned…"

Now a look of fear overcame the two and they instinctively reached out to hold each others hand.

"Release Agent Walker, I haven't finished yet." The couple immediately put their hands back at their sides.

"However in this case, Mr. Bartowski is on the road to becoming an Agent and with just a few final things for him to do in order for him to complete his training, I believe I can look the other way for a little while longer as long as it doesn't interfere with your performance of your duties, Agent Walker or yours Mr. Bartowski,"

"No ma'am it won't" they both said in unison.

"But again, I must caution you, mixing your spy life with your private life can be dangerous." The General actually began to smile ever so slightly as she continued. "But off the record, it's about damn time."

Chuck and Sarah both looked at each other and gave the other that special smile they reserved just for them. 'Did we just pull this off?' they asked each other non-verbally.

"Chuck, Sarah however I must insist that you do not make your relationship public to anyone in the Agency. We don't want to start a trend or give any appearance of special treatment should they find out. At least until Chuck gets his badge and gun."

Chuck then asked. "General, what about Casey?"

"Well I can assure you that the Colonel has known about you two for quite a while. Even though you were professional and hadn't acted on things, he's suspected for a long time there was something between you two. But we only discussed this recently. He kept his suspicions to himself because your performance never suffered. Make sure you keep it that way."

"Yes ma'am we promise."

"Now that that is settled we have a few other matters to discuss." Chuck and Sarah then released their hands and sat back and gave the General their undivided attention.

"Mr. Bartowski, about the special mission we discussed concerning Agent Saunders connection to former Acting Director Mitchell can you elaborate on why you requested to interrogate her and what you believe that connection is?"

"Yes General, it seems that Agent Saunders and former Director Mitchell were involved in an intimate relationship. I believe that she was assigned by the Ring to get close to Mitchell in order to get the assignment to head up my training."

"Do you have any proof of that?"

"Well there is a picture in the Intersect of a rather personal moment between the two that confirms that at least they were lovers. I'd like to talk with her and see if we can figure out what she was doing and if Mitchell was working with the Ring as well. If not I'd like to try and get her to flip on both the Ring and him."

Sarah interrupted, "Why would she do that?"

"Well when I flashed on her I saw a report that she had been taken prisoner in Thailand back eight years ago. She was held in a camp where she was raped, beaten and forced to fight to stay alive."

"Chuck, that is unfortunately a rare but possible outcome of the job, all agents accept that."

"I understand that General, but something happened to her after that and I'd like talk to her to figure out what that was and if it somehow may be the cause of why she joined the Ring."

"Very well Chuck. I'll give you some leeway here but we will need to move quickly. Plus because of the very sensitive political aspect to the issue concerning Former Director Mitchell, you will have to show some solid actionable intel for me to prevent her 'final transfer' much longer."

Both Chuck and Sarah glanced at each other knowing full well what 'final transfer' meant. "Thank you General. I'll keep you informed of what I find out."

"Remember, we are talking about the Acting Director of the CIA either being a traitor or an idiot. The case against him has to be rock solid or it will all come back very harshly on the Intelligence community."

"Understood General"

"Okay, Agent Walker and Mr. Bartowski you are dismissed."

"General, if I may, I have a question I'd like to ask."

"Yes, Agent Walker."

"General, during one of our last briefings in Marseille you mentioned something about expanding the team. As lead Agent I'd like to know what you are planning as it will directly impact how the team functions and how we operate in the field. Colonel Casey, Chuck and myself have developed a very strong team dynamic and I am concerned how that will be impacted by the addition of any more team members. The trust we have within our team I believe has had a direct relationship to the successes we have had."

"Understood, Agent Walker. That is why you were chosen to be lead Agent. But during your time in France it became quite clear to my superiors that the Ring is a much bigger threat than we initially thought. I feel that your team is the right team to lead that fight against the Ring and we want to give you all the resources we can to insure your continued success."

"Thank you General."

"Once this mission is completed you will be returning to Burbank and at that time you will be advised of what those personnel and other resources are and what if any improvements to Castle you will require to complete Mr. Bartowski's training."

Chuck and Sarah then stood up, nodded their respect to the General and turned and headed out the door. As they were still in the DNI and being watched by more cameras than there are at 30 Rock, they waited till they got outside and into the car before they were able to fully express their delight in what just happened. General Beckman had given them a green light to pursue a relationship without the threat of reassignment. The biggest hurdle that had kept them apart for over two years had been removed simply by being honest.

They headed back towards Sarah's long unused apartment for some take out, mission planning and probably another marathon love making session like they had had on the train ride from St. Moritz. Tonight Chuck and Sarah felt like they had it all.

Cell 14B

Undisclosed location

9:05 pm EDT

Special Agent Daniel Shaw stood rather cockily with his left hand on his hip and in his right was what looked like a possible jamming device. He smiled his all together too perfect smile and the female agent who had been his partner and he had abandoned because she might impede his rise to a management level in the CIA just stared icily back at him. He pressed the button on the jammer to disrupt the video and audio feeds. He knew he would have about ten minutes before the frozen video triggered the alarm as it was dinner time in the command center.

Though Shaw looked the part of a great field Agent, he was mediocre at best. In Greece in 2000 he had almost killed two other Agents when he had tried to open a captured Fulcrum safety deposit box outside of a containment facility and without wearing a respirator mask as protocol mandated in these types of situations. The box had been booby trapped and released a nerve toxin that ended up putting him and the other two agents in a local hospital for two days. There were other examples in his hugely redacted file of his tendency to take shortcuts, ignore proper procedures and always push seduction missions to their ultimate conclusion, even when not necessary.

But all of that came before eight years ago. His file was mainly blank since then.

Shaw smiled again and walked over and placed the jamming device under the security camera in the corner of the cell. He then pressed a small button and a red LED lit up to show that it had been activated. When he turned back to Andrea he could see the face of pure hatred

"So Andrea, it seems that you have a real affinity for prison. Orange is definitely a good color on you." He said with a smirk.

"Fuck you Shaw."

"Ahh still as feisty as ever."

"What the hell do you want? Are you planning on doing the beating yourself this time or are you just going to hand it over to some lowlife locals like last time? I mean you wouldn't want to mess up those perfectly manicured hands of yours."

Shaw then held his hands up to admire them. "They are nice aren't they. You always did love what I did with them."

"Sorry Daniel but the only hands that gave me any pleasure on my body when I was with you were my own."

"Andrea, lets talk about The Ring."

"Daniel, are you really that naïve that you think I'm going to tell you of all people anything? Please don't insult me like that."

"Well you do know that everyone talks eventually."

"Yes, but we are in my cell, under twenty-four hour surveillance, with ten guards within twenty yards of here. Do you really think you can torture me here? God Daniel, even for your pathetic spy skills that is a stretch. By the way how did you get in here in the first place?"

Special Agent Shaw just gave that cocky shit eating grin she had grown to loath so much.

"Ahh, Mitchell of course. That idiot wannabe always was hung up on guys like you and Larkin. All looks and not much else, though Larkin was ten times the spy that you will ever be. Did you throw him some of your leftovers to get a promotion or some special assignment? I mean I've heard of fucking for the greater good but pimping definitely seems like your style."

"Andrea, if I were you I'd remember who is the traitor here. Accidents can very easily happen during intense interrogations." Shaw smirked one more time at his former partner. This was perfect. She had taken the bait that Mitchell was behind this and now it was time to implicate him further. Any connection to this being ordered by The Ring would seem much less likely.

"So Mitchell intends to kill me if I don't cooperate? Seems more likely that he's going to want to kill me either way."

Shaw smiled at Saunders once more and turned to head towards the door. He looked back over his shoulder and said, "Agent Saunders, this is on you. You made the choice to join the Ring and we will find out what you know…. eventually." He then walked out and the cell door closed behind him leaving Andrea Saunders alone with her thoughts once more. Her eyes watered ever so slightly not out of remorse really but she knew Shaw was right. She would undoubtedly end up with some 'accident' in her very near future. The penalty for treason was death but she highly doubted she would ever see a trial. Especially when the Director of the CIA needed a fall guy. She lay down on her bed and thought about a long evening of painful thoughts and memories and another sleepless night ahead.

Interrogation Room C

Undisclosed location

9:22 am EDT

Chuck and Sarah had arrived at the secret location at 9am where there were greeted by four military guards in full riot gear. The guards escorted them through the multiple checkpoints where they were electronically screened by machines similar to what were now being used by the TSA. They were also patted down a little too invasively for Chuck's sensitivities especially when he saw what the female guards were doing to Sarah. They were then escorted by a new group of guards dressed in more uniform prison guard attire but with sidearms only. The guard station at the ends of the hall had an assortment of weapons stored in a laser protected armory that could only be opened by dual command from the shift superior and the supervisor in the central command office somewhere else on site.

They waited in the room behind the one-way glass for Agent Saunders to be brought in before Chuck would enter the room. He would be wearing an earpiece that Sarah would use to provide him any input she felt was relevant especially from both being a veteran Agent known for her interrogations skills as well as the perspective of a female Agent.

"Remember Chuck, I'll be right here monitoring the entire situation. I promise to let you handle it your way but if I feel she is lying or that I have something I believe is relevant I will tell you in your ear."

"Thank you Sarah but I want to do this. Something has been bothering me about this situation since I flashed on her file."

Sarah grabbed his lapels and looked directly into his eyes. "Hey, she's a trained double Agent working for The Ring. She will try anything no matter how off the wall and you need to be aware of that. You can't trust her. She is either going to say nothing or she is going to try and manipulate you by any number of ways. Tears, offering you sex, feeding your ego all are on the table here. Its her job, its what she has been trained to do. Manipulating your enemy doesn't stop once your captured. Quit the contrary, it is when it is most valuable. Remember that."

"Thank you Agent Walker." Chuck then gave her a slight nod and she knew he meant more to it than what would be seen by the guards that were waiting to take him into the room.

Andrea was brought in by two guards, one on either side, and two others front and back. The ones to her sides were unarmed but the ones front and back were. They didn't want to give her close access to any weapons. She then was told to sit on the metal chair and the handcuffs were then run through the eye hook on the table that was anchored to the steel table legs that were cemented into the concrete floor.

Chuck looked through the mirror at the sight of the woman who had tormented him so harshly in Zuoz. She looked like she hadn't slept much since he had last seen her inside the hotel in St. Moritz. There were black circles under her eyes which were slightly red and bloodshot. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail but it looked like she hadn't run a brush threw it in days. She was wearing the orange prison jump suit he expected and soft canvas slip on sneakers. She looked stoic but the fire he had seen in Zuoz was not there like he had seen before. He knew she was trying to look defiant and professional but he also saw that a small part of her looked defeated. That would be what he needed to focus on. Chuck was always about hope and he needed to convince her that if she cooperated there might be some hope for her. But he knew that if she didn't, she would not see another birthday. He hated that fact but he also knew the penalty for treason.

Sarah had been watching Chuck more than she was watching Saunders. She knew this was going to be difficult for him and it was one of the many things that she feared might change him as he became a spy. But she knew she would be there for him, not necessarily as his girlfriend but as his partner. The girlfriend support would come later. She had confidence in him that he could do this and she needed him to know that she did.

"Chuck, are you ready?"

He turned and looked into her eyes and gave her a smile that exuded confidence. "Yes Agent Walker, I'm ready."

She nodded back and smiled that she trusted him and believed he would be fine.

He turned and signaled to the guard who opened the door and then walked the few feet to the interrogation room door. The two guards took their position outside the room where Sarah was left alone with the video equipment. Two others stood outside the Interrogation room. He saw that the two cups of water he had requested were sitting on a small table next to the guard on the right hand side of the door. He reached over and picked up the two cups and then signaled the guards he was ready to enter the room. The one on the left put the key in the lock and opened the door.

Andrea was facing the one way mirror and looked up and saw the reflection of her former trainee walk into the room behind her. Sarah noticed she hitched for a second but then quickly put her Agent's face back on.

Chuck walked up and placed the cups on the table in front of his former trainer and then stood in front of her with a small but sincere smile on his face. He knew that she wouldn't respond to a hard ass style of interrogation like Casey would give from him. He knew from their 'date' that it was his charm and confident nature that had gotten the upper hand with her.

He looked at her for a few seconds but her gaze never left her handcuffed hands in front of her. He pondered for a second and then decided that he would have to make the first move. He knew she was surprised to see him but he also realized she was putting up the massive defensive wall of a highly trained Agent.

"Good morning Agent Saunders. I know you must be surprised to see me here."

She just kept looking at her hands giving no acknowledgement that he had even spoken.

"Here I asked for some water for you and if you are hungry I'm sure I can get you some fruit or maybe a bagel. Personally I like blueberry pancakes in the morning but that's just me." Sarah had to stifle a laugh as she watched his adorable rambling through the mirror.

"Look I know you have to play super Agent with all the non-talking and stuff. But I want you to know that I'm not going to get physical with you or anything like that. I just want to talk to you." Chuck then sat down in the chair opposite her relinquishing the position of power that standing over a person being interrogated gave. He wanted to give her the impression that he was actually talking on her level.

Agent Saun.. by the way do you mind if I call you Andrea?" He got no response. "I'll take that as a yes. Andrea, I want you to know that I asked to talk to you. I'm not here to beat you into answering whatever questions we would like answers to but to try and figure out why a great CIA Agent would turn her back on her country and join the Ring. Why you would betray what you had worked so hard for? You were a great trainer and you beat the crap out of me but you made me better. I learned a lot from you and I'd like to ask you why you were going to turn me over to the enemy?"

Again he got no response. Sarah spoke into his ear. "Chuck you have to find something to trigger a reaction, any reaction that shows that she hears you. You need to find the way in. Something she fears, cares about, anything you saw in her that will let you in behind that wall."

Chuck reached out and took a sip of his water. He placed the cup back down on the table, took a deep breath and in an almost quiet and hushed voice he said. "Andrea, I know about Thailand."

Her hands visibly clenched and he knew he had gotten the reaction he needed. He paused waiting to see if she spoke. After a few seconds he continued. "I know what they did to you there. And I'm sorry you had to go through that." Chuck put as much sincerity and empathy in his voice as possible.

"None of that matters now." He heard her speak barely above a whisper.

"It matters to me. No one should ever have to go through that and I know that you feel like your country abandoned you and threw you away."

"It's what they do, its part of the job." Sarah's heart saddened when she heard those words. Even if she was working for the Ring and she hated her for trying to kidnap Chuck, no person especially a female should have to go through what she must have gone through. It was Sarah's deepest most secret fear as an agent.

"Maybe so but it doesn't make it any more right."

"But why bring that up now? Where was the concern back then?"

"Look, I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry and that maybe if you help us and we get you some counseling to deal with what you went through, we might be able to keep you from finding yourself strapped to a table with a needle in your arm."

Andrea finally looked up into those warm brown eyes that she had gotten lost in briefly on their 'date'. "Carmichael, you really are a piece of work. Do you expect me to believe that they won't kill me right after I become of no use to them anymore? No matter what I do or say I'm never leaving this place alive. Mitchell won't allow it. I'm his fall guy. He picked me and the only way he survives is if I disappear permanently."

"Look Andrea, I know you don't trust me. If I was in your shoes I wouldn't trust me either. But the Ring will abandon you just like the CIA did, they probably have already put out a kill order on you so you won't talk."

"Charles." her tired eyes gazed at Chuck as she tried to put her Agents face back on. She was failing miserably but somehow when talking to Carmichael it was so easy to let your guard down. His sincerity disarmed you. " ..the Ring took me in when I needed help. They came to find me at the hospital. They wanted me. The CIA didn't give two shits about me, my partner abandoned me in that hell hole and the Ring gave me a way out. Why should I betray them and help the Agency that left me to get raped, beaten and defiled by freaks in unimaginable ways for their own demented pleasure?"

"Because they are no different. If the situation was reversed the Ring would abandon you just like your partner did."

Saunders knew he was telling the truth. The Ring and the CIA were not much different. The only real difference is that the Ring was honest about what they did and didn't hide behind the "greater good" to excuse anything and everything they felt was necessary. A Ring agent caught in the same situation she was would have been left there to rot just the same.

"But why should I help you? And for that matter why are you, an Agent in training here as the spokesman for the CIA?"

"Because I asked to speak with you. I'm the one that knows what happened to you and I believe that if Thailand had never happened that you wouldn't be in this position today. I also am hoping that you can help clean up some of the corruption and incompetence at the highest levels of the CIA.

"I know that Acting Director Mitchell and you were involved and that he has a reputation as a wannabe Casanova who uses his position to take advantage of young impressionable female Agents trying to make a name for themselves in the Agency. I don't want to find out you had a mysterious accident while in some god forsaken facility in some distant wretched part of the planet."

"Charles, …why would you want to help me?" Her continued use of his first name did not go unnoticed by Chuck. "I was going to kidnap you and deliver your sorry ass to the Ring to be their little plaything. What does it matter to you what happens to me. I would have thought you would want to see me dead just as much as Mitchell does."

Chuck then reached across the table and took her hands in his. Sarah noticed the move and smiled. Even though she hated the idea of any other woman touching Chuck she knew how powerful those hands were. How much meaning and how disarming his touch can be. He had used them so effectively with her over the past two and a half years. If he only knew just how powerful they were he would be unstoppable. But that was part of why they worked so well for him. He had no clue of the impact they had. His sincerity drove him and drove the power in those hands.

"Look Andrea even though you did those things I can't forget that you made me a better Agent. You worked me harder than anyone ever had and I'm going to always be in your debt because of it. You are a great trainer and I believe that somewhere deep inside you lives that person that joined the CIA to help protect your country and all the regular Joes out there who will never know what you did for them. You just got caught in an untenable situation and did what you thought was best to survive. You were betrayed by people you thought had your back. Believe me when I say that I completely understand that pain because I've been there. But it doesn't have to end this way. You shouldn't have to die because your partner betrayed you. They didn't have the right to hand you a death sentence and make those decisions for you. Again I've been there and maybe that's why I want to help keep you alive. Someone I know helped me when it would have been much easier to just send me away or terminate me and I just want to pay it forward."

Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes that were now flowing. She knew Chuck was talking about Bryce and about her and the pure goodness in this man made her love him even more.

Andrea felt the sincerity in his hands and saw the honest pain of betrayal in his eyes. She had no idea what or who had done these things to him but she knew he wasn't lying. Someone he trusted hurt him deeply but he chose to still look for the good in people. Not a great quality for a traditional spy to have but a great quality for a man. She thought back to the night when she danced in his arms, how safe it felt. She knows they were just playing a role but no trainee is that great an actor. Much of what she felt that night was strangely honesty. He was a good man and she believes he is telling the truth right now.

As she blinked away some of the moisture that had developed in her eyes, she took a deep breath and then looked up into those pools of chocolate. The memory of Shaw's visit last night was fresh in her mind and she knew that he would have no problem terminating her if Mitchell so ordered. "What do you want me to do and how will you keep Mitchell or even the Ring from killing me?"

"I want you to tell me what Mitchell promised you, what your mission was with him and give me any information you passed on to the Ring. I also want you to tell me how they contact you"

"What do I get in return?"

"I will make sure that you are protected and that any termination order is rescinded in exchange for your cooperation. I'd also like you to attend counseling sessions with Agent Landers. I trust him and I know he can help you. You will still have to serve out a sentence for the crimes you've committed but we can maybe reduce it somewhat depending on how cooperative you are and how valuable your information is in helping us take down the Ring."

This time it was Saunders who put her hands on top of his. "I don't know why but I trust you. Though I sincerely doubt that they will let me live you are probably my last chance to get out of this nightmare and if I'm probably going to die anyway I'd love to take that asshole Mitchell down with me. Every time I think about him touching me it makes my skin crawl. He gives creepy a whole new meaning."

"Thank you. I promise I will do my best to make sure that doesn't happen."

Andrea Saunders then spent the next fifteen minutes telling Chuk everything she knew and did for the Ring. His inner nerd really geeked out when she described the communications device. He would have to get a hold on one for himself.

After they were done Chuck then got up and headed towards the door. As he was about to knock to alert the guards he was coming out he turned and said, "Andrea, just so you know, I did have fun that night. You are a great dancer."

Mitchell Townhouse

Georgetown

2:28 PM EDT

Fred Mitchell had been locked up in his townhouse for two days. He knew his future was going to be decided when the National Security Advisor returned to Washington in 48 hours. He had tried to find out what was going on but his Attorney had been stonewalled at every turn. It was finally time to call in some favors and go through some 'back channels'. He needed to find out where Agent Saunders was and what if anything she had told Beckman. He also figured that he could arrange for a little 'accident' once he knew where she was and he could steer it to being blamed on the Ring. He'd have some bogus intel about one of the guards working with the Ring planted by some analyst that owed him a favor or two.

He reached into the top left hand drawer of his mahogany desk and pulled out a burner phone he kept for exactly these situations. All of his official phones had been turned off and he knew they were tapping his landline and Internet phone services. He decided to call in a favor he had been saving since he became a Deputy Director of the CIA under Graham. Six years ago he had met Special Agent Daniel Shaw and a northern Virginia bar that was known among CIA officials as a safe place for new graduates of the Farm to hang out in for a few days while they waited for their first assignments. It was a place that he had frequented before on trips to Washington. He knew the women were hot, young and eager.

Mitchell and Shaw had hung out a few times and he had used his position to do a few favors for Shaw when he needed them. Shaw had been working on a very secret project to infiltrate and take down the Ring. He had fed him information and kept a few major screwups completely secret and it was time to pay up.

He first sent him a generic text to his regular phone to signal he wanted to use the burners and then dialed the number.

"Fred, what can I do for you? Though I think I have an idea."

"Daniel, I need you to take care of a problem for me."

"You're once future hand picked assistant I presume."

"Yes, make it look like her other employer is responsible."

"That's not going to be easy as she is under extremely heavy security." He chuckled quietly as he had already gotten through that security last night. "If I do this then I need a favor from you in return."

"Name it."

"I want on the Intersect team."

"How do you know about the Intersect? That's classified above your clearance level."

"Please Fred. Don't insult me. You want Saunders taken care of, you figure out a way to get me on that team."

"Daniel you seem to forget that I am no longer in charge of the Intersect project."

"Not my problem."

Fred Mitchell wiped his hands across his face as he paced around his home office. He knew he was cornered. If he wanted Saunders dead he had to figure out how to get Shaw on that team.

"Ok Daniel, you win. Take care of my problem in twenty-four hours and I'll get you on that team."

"Pleasure doing business with you Fred."

Mitchell hung up the phone and now moved on to a bigger problem. How the hell was he going to get Daniel Shaw on the Intersect team.

A/N2 Next chapter should be a lot of fun as I finally get to write Ellie!